Engineers based the Hummer on the Humvee, which served as a military transport vehicle.
Since the Hummer went public in the early 1990s, the Hummer has been a lightning rod for controversy, and good reason.
People criticized the Hummer as a wasteful and environmentally insensitive symbol of conspicuous consumption.
But in addition to the controversy surrounding the Hummer’s low fuel economy and macho-man image, there were other problems that the public wasn’t aware of.
In its early years, the Hummer was a high-end luxury vehicle only driven by movie stars and professional athletes.
Hummers Have Always Had Maintenance Issues
Hummer reliability has always been lacking and continues to be, even into the present day.
No one reason explains why Hummers have so many maintenance issues.
One factor is that the older, first-generation Hummers are aging and are beginning to show quite a bit of wear and tear.
Another reason has nothing to do with the Hummer itself, but the people who drive them.
When the first-generation Hummers started to come down in price, individuals purchased them who weren’t qualified to deal with their massive engines and didn’t understand their financial commitment in terms of regular maintenance.
Hummers Are High-Maintenance Vehicles
They also didn’t understand that a Hummer isn’t a regular vehicle you can take to Jiffy Lube every few months.
These are high-maintenance sport utility vehicles that require constant care and attention.
Hummer’s successive generation has had its own distinct set of maintenance problems, which we’ll explore in greater detail.
The other problem you’ll see as you read through this article is that engineers loaded down later-generation Hummers with so many extras.
It was almost inevitable with such complex engines that these massive vehicles would have frequent and often expensive maintenance problems.
If you’re considering buying a used or new Hummer, reading this article we’ve put together will help you be aware of potential defects and maintenance issues with any Hummer you might want to buy.
These are massive, state-of-the-art vehicles that are guaranteed to have problems later on and require constant care and maintenance.
Common Issues With The Hummer H1
The Hummer H1 was the first model year that raised questions about hummer reliability with the general public.
Since the Hummer was unlike anything most people had ever seen, they gave the Hummer a free pass, even though the vehicle itself had so many problems that it was almost impossible to drive in many ways.
Poor Heat Insulation
AM General Motors released the first H1’s to the general public in 1992 and 1993.
Almost from the outset, the vehicles were uncomfortable to drive because they lacked air conditioning and had poor-quality heat insulation.
Poor Quality Interior
The other big disappointment with the first-generation Hummer was that even with an MSRP of $39,500, the engineers built the interior cheap.
There were constant complaints about broken or missing levers or controls, and the lack of climate control wasn’t a good thing either.
There were numerous stories of cracked leather, dings, and scratch marks.
Faulty HVAC Systems
Starting in 1994, Hummers came equipped with a full HVAC system, but since the Hummer had never had air conditioning, the manufacturers were on a steep learning curve.
There were many reports of faulty heater cores, which cost up to $3000 to replace.
Also, there were engine problems that caused the 1994 Hummer to perform poorly at higher altitudes.
Traction Problems
For the 1999 model year, the H1’s had frequent traction problems.
At the time, it’s TT4 traction system was considered state-of-the-art, but this traction system was yet another add-on that ended up working better in theory than it did in practice.
Because of problems with the TT4 traction system, the 1999 H1’s off-road performance is abysmal.
Engine Block Issues
For H1’s model years manufactured between 1996 and 2000, the engine blocks are susceptible to cracking.
The source of the problem was a manufacturing defect in the engine’s eight-cylinder casting.
Simultaneously, the manufacturer replaced most of these engine blocks, some of the defective ones still floating around out there.
Individuals considering purchasing an H1 between 1996 and 2000 should exercise caution and make sure the vehicle contains a replacement engine and not the original.
Poor Parts Availability
As the H1’s get older, parts for specific model years are getting more challenging to come by.
If you’re considering buying an older model Hummer, be aware that you may have trouble obtaining replacement parts.
Common Issues With The Hummer H2
By the time General Motors released the H3 in 2002, Hummer had made quite a bit of progress in resolving many issues that had plagued its earlier models.
While the H2 was far from environmentally friendly, the H2 was much more fuel-efficient than its predecessor.
Even so, there were questions about Hummer reliability with H2 as well.
Oil Pump Pressure Loss
There have been recurrent reports of oil pumps suddenly losing pressure for no reason.
Mirror Not Folding
For the model years 2003 through 2005, there have been several reports of side mirrors not folding.
This was under the manufacturer’s warranty at the time, but if you’re buying one of these model years, be careful.
Tachometer And Speedometer Failure
There have been reports across several model years of speedometers and tachometers failing for no reason.
This is a severe problem because it leaves you unable to tell how fast you are going.
Windshield Wiper Circuit Failure
From 2003 through 2005, there have been frequent reports of a defective windshield wiper circuit that causes the windshield wiper to come on even though it’s not raining automatically.
At the time, this was a factory defect, and it was under the manufacturer’s warranty.
Door Lock Failure
There are reports of a defective door lock switch causing the door to fail to lock or unlock from the inside.
This was considered a factory defect and replaced under the manufacturer’s warranty.
Poor Off-Road Performance
There have been reports of generally poor off-road performance by the H2, with reports of defective tie rods, cracked ball joints, and collapsing Idler & Pitman arms.
Common Issues With The Hummer H3
While the Hummer’s fuel economy and environmental footprint continue to make incremental improvements into the present day, frequent problems with the Hummer H3 show that hummer reliability is still an issue.
Valve Leakage
H3’s have frequent problems with valve leakage.
If your H3 is under 40,000 miles, you should be under the manufacturer warranty, but after 40,000 miles, you’ll end up replacing them yourself.
This has been a recurrent and expensive problem with some H3’s.
Defective Cylinder Head
The H3 has had frequent problems with defective cylinder heads that can cause an engine misfire.
While this was a manufacturing defect covered under the manufacturer warranty, this can be an expensive problem to fix if your warranty has expired.
Defective Head Gasket
For the 2006 model year, several reports of defective head gaskets would blow as soon as the car reached 100,000 miles.
Since GM failed to report this problem to the public, several drivers weren’t alerted to the issue until after they were out of warranty coverage.
Check Engine Light Problems
There have been frequent problems with H3’s check engine light coming on for no reason.
This was another problem that GM didn’t tell anyone about until drivers had to pay to fix the problem.
Rough Idle
Another frequent issue has been H3 engines with a noticeably rough idle, usually after the 50,000-mile mark.
While there’s been no word from the manufacturer, the problem appears to be valve leakage and faulty head gaskets.
Conclusion
So as we’ve gone to great lengths to demonstrate here, there have been several issues with Hummer reliability over the years.
Those issues continue into the present day and frequently affect Hummer’s more recent models.
That’s not to say that Hummers are bad cars, they’re not.
They are massive and unforgettable vehicles that happen to have a lot of maintenance issues.
If you’re considering buying a vintage Hummer, make sure you do your research to know what you’re getting.
When you find a vehicle you’re interested in, take some time to look up the vehicle’s history on a website like Carfax.com.
Make sure to test drive the car and talk with the seller at length about the vehicle’s maintenance history.
It’s also a good idea to find message boards started by other Hummer enthusiasts; that way, you can stay on top of potential maintenance issues with your model year and be prepared if they happen to you.